Gyroscopically controlled head lamp



June 1951 R. BECKERMAN ET AL 2,557,590

GYROSCOPICALLY CONTROLLED HEADLAMP Filed Nov. 2, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEVJ June 19, 1951 R. BECKERMAN ET AL 5 5 GYROSCOPICALLY CONTROLLED HEADLAMP i INVENTORJ 7 Bay/21am acre/mam 24 /-/0/77e/ a 197 Patented June 19, 1951 UNI-TED STATS GYROSCOPICALLY CONTROLLED HEAD LAMP Raymond Beckerman and. Homer J. Boyce, Danbury, Conn.

Application November 2, 1948, Serial No..5'7,992

3 Claims. (01. 24062) This invention relates to gyroscopically controlled headlamps for vehicles.

object of the invention is the provision oi an apparatus for changing the position of the axis of a headlamp to compensate for the varying' positions of the longitudinal axis of a vehicle so: that when the vehicle is traveling up or down a: hill: or turning on a curve, the positions of the horizontal axis of the headlamps will be changed to prevent light rays from the lamps from blinding the driver of an approaching vehicle, the constructions being such that one of a pair of electrically driven gyroscopes is active to maintain the beams of light rays from a headlamp in a downward positionwhen the vehicle is traveling over the top of a hill while the othergyroscope causes the lamp to be oscillated in a horizontal plane for directing light rays along the side of a roadbed when the vehicle is turning.

A further object of the invention is the provision' of apparatus which is controlled by a gyroscope for causing the headlamps of a vehicle to tilt. downwardly when the vehicle is traveling over the top of a hill and by a second gyroscope for causing the headlamp to be turned when the vehicle is rounding a curve, said gyroscopes cooperating to set into operation instrumentalities to provide a composition of oscillations of the headlamp during combined variations in the travel of the vehicle on an inclined and curving path, two gyroscopes and associated actuated means being employed for each lamp.

The invention is best understood from av consideration of the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings. Nevertheless, it is to be borne in mind that the invention is not confined to. the disclosure but is susceptible of such changes and modifications as shall define no material departure from the. salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure I. is a longitudinal vertical section of our apparatus for controlling the oscillation of a headlamp along. its longitudinal axis thereof in planes which are at right angles to each other.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section taken along the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal horizontal section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of a bearing for a support of the headlamp,

Figure 5 shows more or less diagrammatically electric. circuits for a headlamp. and a pair of motors for revolving. gyroscopes, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical section of the inner end of a. head'- lamp and its socket.

PATENT FFICE Referring more particularly to the drawings Ill designates the fender of. an automobile having a wall H for the reception of a housing I'2. Said housing has an outer peripheral flange l'3 secured at it to a circular portion of the fender embracing an opening [5 therein.

A lamp It which may be of the sealed beam type is mounted in a cylindrical casing ll having the inner end It closed. A ring 2'3 has diametrically disposed pins 2! disposed in a vertical plane so that the ring may rock on its vertical axis. The pins are mounted in bearings 22' in an annular support 23 secured to the inner wall of the housing l2 adjacent the open front end thereof. It will be noted also thatv the casing, ll has diametrically disposed pins 24 received: by bearings located in a horizontal plane and formed in the. ring 2E} so: that the casing and lamp I 6 may be rocked on a horizontal axis. Itwill be appreciated that the above construction willpermit not only the rocking of the lamp along a vertical axis and along. a horizontal axis but also the rocking movements may be. combined.

The pins 2-! and 24 have a special and an identical construction as shown in Figure 4'. The pins. have an integral flange 26 seated within a cup-shaped member 27. A coil spring 28 presses against the flange for retaining the pin in the bearing 29 in the ring 26. The cup-shaped members 2? which house the pins 24- have the open ends thereof welded tothe casing I! while the cup-shaped members 21a which house the pins 2!- have their open ends welded to the ring 20.

A rod 39: projects axially through a socket 3| for the lamp bulb 32 and is threaded into an insulating rin 33 fitted into the socket against turning. Wires leading to the lamp 32 are secured to. contacts 35'. and 35 attached to the rod 3i). and. insulated. therefrom. Wires 35 and. 31

are connected between the contacts 34 and 35 and the. respective positive side 38 and negative side 39. of; a source of current at.

Q A. gyroscope d5 including a built-in electric motor. 56 has a vertical axle ll which. has its ends mounted in diametrically opposite bearings 41a in gimbal 48.. Said gimbal has a pintle 49 in a bearing. in an arm of a- U-shaped bracket 50. A mue 58a is rigid with the gimbal and. has a .bearing in the other arm of the bracket. The

A second gyroscope 58 is driven at high speed by an electric motor 59 incorporated therein. The horizontal motor shaft 60 has bearings 60a in a gimbal El and said shaft forms the axle for the gyroscope. Pintles 62 and 63 rigid with the gimbal at diametrically opposite points have bearings in the arms of a U-shaped bracket 64. A Wire 65 from the motor leads to a switch 66. A lever 61 has one end secured rigidly to the pintle 63 while the other end is provided with a fork 68 receiving the rod 30. The pintle 63 is provided with a damping device 18 to prevent over-travel. The pintle 49a is also provided with a similar damping device H As shown in Figure 5, the wire 38 includes a manually operated switch 12. The wire 5| is connected with the wire 65 so that both motors 46 and 59 will be in circuit when the switches 65 and 12 are closed. Both motors have a ground. The switch I2, however, may close the circuit to the lamp I6 independently of the motors.

The operation is as follows: The switches 12 and 66 are closed for lighting a single lamp [6 and energizing the motors 45 and 59. It will be appreciated that while one lamp and its associated operating mechanism are illustrated, there will be a headlamp and an operating mechanism in each front fender. As shown in Figure 1, the various elements are built into the housing [2 to form a removable unit.

The gyroscope 58 controls the horizontal oscillation of the lamp I6 when the vehicle is turning and responds to the angular rate of turning of the vehicle on a vertical axis. When the vehicle is making a right turn at any speed, the gyroscope, due to precession torque will tilt in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2. This torque is sufficient to rock the lever 61 in the same direction for rocking the rod 30 and for shifting the lamp Hi to the right so that the light rays will follow the turn in the roadway. As the vehicle returns from the curve and travels along a straight path, the various elements will assume normal positions. When the vehicle turns left the opposite rocking of the gyroscope will turn the lamp l6 to the left.

The gyroscope 45 controls the direction of the light rays from the lamp l6. When the vehicle reaches the crest of a hill and starts to move downwardly, the gyroscope is disturbed in its plane of rotation thereby causing the gimbal 48 to be tilted so that the free end of the lever 55 is raised for elevating the inner or free end of the rod 30. The lamp I6 is tilted downwardly so that the light rays will be projected toward the roadbed and thus prevent blinding of an oncoming motorist. The rate of the speed of the moving elements of the gyroscope 45, and likewise the gyroscope 58, is proportional to the vertical tilting rate or to the horizontal turning rate of the vehicle.

The damping means and H are illustrated as a conventional type and any well-known form of means may be employed. Such damping means will tend to stabilize the gyroscopes and V will prevent over-travel of the lamps 16 when rocked on the pivots 2| and 24.

What is claimed is:

l. A vehicle headlamp comprising a relatively stationary support, a lamp housing having its longitudinal axis in a horizontal position and mounted on said support to pivot relative thereto on transverse vertical and horizontal axes, a pair of motor driven gyroscopes mounted in gimbal rings journalled on said support having parallel horizontal axes of rotation, said gimbal rings having rigid levers projecting radially with respect to their axes of rotation and in parallel vertical planes, one of said gyroscopes rotating on a vertical axis parallel to the vertical pivotal axis of said lamp housing and the other on a horizontal axis parallel to the horizontal pivotal axis of said lamp housing, said levers having free ends intersecting the longitudinal horizontal axis of said lamp housing, an element on said lamp housing, and means operatively connecting the free ends of said levers to said element.

2. A vehicle headlamp comprising a relatively stationary support, a lamp housing having its longitudinal axis in a horizontal position and mounted on said support to pivot relative thereto on transverse vertical and horizontal axes, a pair of motor driven gyroscopes mounted in gimbal rings journalled on said support having parallel horizontal axes of rotation, said gimbal rings having rigid levers projecting radially with respect to their axes of rotation and in parallel vertical planes, one of said gyroscopes rotating on a vertical axis parallel to the vertical pivotal axis of said lamp housing and the other on a horizontal axis parallel to the horizontal pivotal axis of said lamp housing, said levers having free ends intersecting the longitudinal horizontal axis of said lamp housing, an element on said lamp housing, and means operatively connecting the free ends of said levers to said element, said element being positioned on the longitudinal axis of said lamp housing.

' 3. A vehicle headlamp comprising a relatively stationary support, a lamp housing having its longitudinal axis in a horizontal position and mounted on said support to pivot relative thereto on transverse vertical and horizontal axes, a pair of motor driven gyroscopes mounted in gimbal rings journalled on said support having parallel horizontal axes of rotation, said gimbal rings having rigid levers projecting radially with respect to their axes of rotation and in parallel vertical planes, one of said gyroscopes rotating on a vertical axis parallel to the vertical pivotal axis of said lamp housing and the other on a horizontal axis parallel to the horizontal pivotal axis of said lamp housing, said levers having free ends intersecting the longitudinal horizontal axis of said lamp housing, an element on said lamp housing, and. means operatively connecting the free ends of said levers to said element, said element comprising a rod, and said means comprising slots in the free ends of said levers defining parallel edges slidably engaging opposite sides of said rod.

RAYMOND BECKERMAN. HOMER JAY BOYCE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 583,916 Marchand June 18, 1897 1,398,262 Gray Nov. 29, 1921 2,321,337 Tostevin June 8, 1943 2,431,641 Gregorie et a1. Nov. 25, 1947 2,434,766 I-Ierrington Jan. 20, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 616,248 Germany Aug. 1, 1935 

